2023 Chevy Malibu RS Review - I Thought You Were Dead. 

There are those of us out there (like me), who simply do not want an SUV. No matter how hard you try, there is a point where physics cannot be denied and a sedan will always handle better.

I'm glad GM still makes the Chevy Malibu! We need at least one surviving sedan from a domestic auto maker. I like the look and simplicity of this vehicle. I just wish everyone wasn't going to CVTs. I would assume these make fantastic Uber cars.

I discovered this channel after researching Crown Vics. I love your channel!! It’s nice to see obscure cars I love, instead of channels that only review super cars and brand new stuff.

Ha! Nice review. The RS sadly seems to only be a appearance package for the bottom feeder LS trim. So no back seat armrest, no sporty suspension upgrade, and no rear passenger AC vents. GM has decided to keep producing the Malibu nameplate, which is uncharacteristically sensible of them. The Malibu is a fine midsize sedan for those who do not want a crossover/SUV, but its interior and power plant needs significant updates.

When they say ur gonna review EVERY car in existence, i am usually like nah. But the 2023 malibu? With a storyline??? Love ur shit zach, keep it up

I have a 2020 Malibu RS but the color is white. Not the fastest car but so far has been reliable and good on gas. Average 32 miles to the gallon

9:59 the housefly part was hilarious! The long walk after popping the trunk was funny too

Honestly if they dropped the CVT and put back the 8spd it'd sell more. (Little GM trivia, the Malibu in essence is the spiritual successor to the Corsica)

Sedans are my favorite second only to coupes. Cheaper, efficient, handle better, practical enough, and many are just well proportioned. Only reason I got the HB Mazda3 is because the sedan was going to be an additional 6 month wait, and I'd probably have to settle for it in white 🤮.

Sedans made up the bulk of the vehicles on the road when I was a kid. Coupes were a bit more popular, too. There were other types of vehicles, of course. Families often had large station wagons. And there many more vans. Like real vans that are now often the butt of jokes. I think that SUVs became popular because auto makers figured out that people liked the commanding driving position and the space, and just wanted a few more amenities and safety features. I think of today's SUVS - especially unibody SUVs - like they're really just raised wagons & hatchbacks. And body-on-frame SUVS are trucks with caps on the back. I like sedans a lot. I hope they start making more of them. I have a truck with a cap on it. It's OK. But I personally don't like being so high off the road all the time. I think sedans are more fun to drive and they handle much better than any truck. So I don't know. What do I really think will happen. I think SUVs will continue to dominate in the years to come. And if I buy a sedan, I will continue to complain about not being able to see through the SUV next to me at stop lights when I'm trying to take a right.

My Mom has one of these. It is good bang for the buck. Comfy and decent mileage and I think good looking still.

The malibu was one of those cars my dad always got as his company car. The LS trim he got was absolutely terrible and uncomfortable, but higher trim levels were better

I love the modern Malibu's a lot. Especially the 2012-2015 models. This currently one doesn't look too bad either and these are actually decent drivers cars, just wish they had more potential power or there was a manual version available

Really surprised the RS package doesn't have fog lights, or LED headlights or even a sunroof. It seems like just base model with different wheels, spoiler, and added infotainment.

In my opinion the perfect sedan formula is to have basic infotainment system, large trunk space, cup holders that pass the Big Frick'n bottle test, and comfortable back seats. We used to have a 2005 dodge neon sedan and that followed mostly my formula.

I’m about to turn 52. I’ve had trucks, real SUVs and crossovers, a minivan and a real van. When push comes to shove, I prefer a sedan! I always have. My truck is great when I need to do truck stuff, but as a daily driver it’s always a second choice! Sedans, simply put, handle better, I prefer the low seating position, and they get better gas mileage. I applaud Chevy for keeping the Malibu, even though I know it’s for fleet sales. And as long as I can get out of one and they are available, I guess I’ll shop sedans. Fun fact, my two sons (22 and 20) prefer them as well!

Small correction: the next gen Malibu is expected to be based off the same platform as the current one (albeit tweaked), so the next gen Malibu is expected to be a Gas Malibu. The EV sedan, which is supposedly based off of the FNR-XE and will debut in China, is a different project.

Had one of these for a year and had to sell it. Transmission was skipping within the first month and it struggled at highway speeds. If Chevy really wanted to compete with Honda and Toyota, this is not really a great answer.

Despite the fact that I prefer wagons and hatchbacks and some SUVS. This blue on this Malibu had me sold.

Nice review im thinking about getting a malibu RS i just want one in the blue color way but can’t find one

The Lacrosse and Envision do NOT use this engine. The only other cars that use the 1.5 are the Equinox and Terrain.

After a brief workout at my village rec center, I couldn't help but notice about 15 SUVs in the parking lot. All looked similar, black and gray. Can you say boring. No thank you. I proudly drove home in my red Jetta Sport . . . with the 6 speed manual. Fun stuff, bubba.

The secret to the sales numbers is rental fleets.

Zach love u man been watching you for months u go out of ur way to review anything you can get your hands on and cars no one really talks about 👍

If you want a sedan, go with a Camry, Corolla, Accord, or Civic. My friend’s brother’s 2018 Malibu has been nothing but problems left and right.

I drove a 2003 Honda Accord as my first car. With the Chicago roads, especially during the winter time, it didn't feel practical. When it was time to upgrade, the Honda dealer put me in a 2019 Accord as a loaner until the brand new car I had a down payment on came in. The new sedans are nothing like the old ones, they feel much lower and much sportier, which I wouldn't necessarily attribute to being a good thing, at least not for me. Sure that Accord was fast, but after getting my 2023 Honda HR-V and driving it for a month now, I can confidently say that an SUV is far more practical than a sedan.

I will never drive a crossover, so kudos to GM for keeping this alive. If I was in the market for a new daily driver, I'd highly consider one

"GM can we have Impala?" "No, we have Malibu at home" The Malibu at home:

Black and white sure, but a lot more options than some cluster screens. So at least they cheaped out on the right thing there.

2:05 It's only in the Chinese Lacrosse and Envision. Not really relevant to North American viewers and incorrect to say we got the engine in "3 different cars." Though near-identical engines were used in the Equinox/Terrain (LYX), Cruze, Trax/Encore (LE2), and Volt (L3A).

Sedans should not die. However, Chevy should have kept the Impala & not the Malibu; it was a better car, & they could have sold it as a killer up-sized competitor to the (smaller) Accord, Camry, Sonata, Alima, etc.

I love my sedan, a perfect vehicle architecture for trips because of a low aerodynamic profile, the separate trunk is good for NVH and a more efficient HVAC system. And you really notice the noise difference on a road trip as it is fatiguing to be in a loud vehicle for hours. The only other vehicle type I love as much is a minivan. Not that I don't love trucks, but unless you need a bed or to tow a lot, and be honest 80% can do without and rent a truck/van for the 1 day a year we need it.

Thank you so much for this video review of the Malibu🎥 I just purchased my very first LS Malibu 2 weeks ago. I'm happy to add the support of GM to continue to make and sell this terrific sedan🚘 I'm all for American made proud auto vehicles🏁🇺🇲

A car I have no interest in buying but I enjoy your leave no stone unturned approach.

That engine has been used in several GM vehicles and unfortunately plastic that love's to break.

I own a 2022 RS. It’s nice to drive. I don’t want a lot of power but there is plenty of that & torque in this car for me. When I drive @ 70mph from northern NJ to the shore I get 42mpg & that, with a comfortable, quiet ride makes it a car I enjoy

You know this car is lame when even Zach is struggling to find interesting things to say about a car. And he's the king of finding interesting things about cars even when they're not interesting.

The only sedans I like are the boxy 70s 80s era some of the 90s are ok 👌🏽

It looks fresh out of 2016. Nevertheless, that's not a bad thing in my eyes, I like it.

Rental fleet queen special.

I agree sedans should come back!!

I drive a 17 Malibu. Honestly not the greatest car, I’ve had some problems with it. But for some reason I do love the car. And with a muffler delete it sounds damn good. Surprised you said the backseat headroom was good. I’m 5’11 and struggled with backseat headroom.

Holding on to my 2020 stinger GTline...thx!

Nice looking car despite the spoiler... Went to my local Chevy dealer's website today to look at a Traverse and saw a 2024 Malibu RS in blue for $23K... Seems to have everything I'd need/want without a lot of excess stuff that I wouldn't use. Tempted to go take a look!

I don't know if they stopped offering the updated gauges, but I know that at one point you could get a color screen on the higher trims that was eventually replaced by a larger version that blended with the analog gauges.

Great script, love the philosophy aspect.

My elderly neighbor drives a 1993 Chevy Corsica With only 80K miles. Recently she dropped it off at the dealership to have some work done and was given a new 2022 or 23 Malibu. It's funny because she couldelete pay cash for any car she wanted and believe me the dealership was trying to push hard to get her into a new Malibu but even compared to the Corsica The fit and finish along with the annoying CVT ensures that our next car will most likely be a Toyota lol

Americans should be ashamed of themselves... They destroyed their own legacy ..once a luxury car tuned out to be a disaster .... Even the last remaining proper luxury Sedan 300 is Gina die soon

Bought a 2022 Malibu Premier A couple months ago brand new love the car with the 2.0 turbo if you don't mind buying Premium gas but way worth it, alot quicker than the 1.5 liter if you're looking for performance.

Try a 2013 Malibu. I had that car and got rid of the car because the backseat was borderline compact. This generation improved the rear legroom.

The malibu is like kidz bop. You think it’s dead until you see one.

My dad has a 2014 or 2015 Malibu, it's red and has a slightly different infotainment system. Body and interior are otherwise identical. That said, it's a perfectly good car. It is as boring as it can possibly be and is absolutely underpowered, but it gets good gas mileage and is comfortable with tons of leg room. Can't see myself getting one (have a 2019 Miata) but I can see the appeal.

It is a good freaking car. Period. It got some weird problems but nothing catastrophic. As long as the road you drive is not full of potholes (probably not Chicago), it is a fine car to own and drive.

My 1rst Malibu Chevy was a 1971, 2nd, 1972, 3rd 2024 Malibu Rally Sport!!😡💪

Insurance company provided one of these as a rental for us while our car in repair. Overall ok car. Disappointed that they had LED map lights up front but halogens for passenger lights in back. Come on GM!? Carplay and Android Auto were wireless so that's nice. Phones paired quickly.

As an sedan guy: This is my first car Zack.

I think it's foolish that brands abandoned sedans. Yes crossovers are comparable in price but that's only for subcompacts and you can't get a deal on compact crossovers. Unless automakers are going to offer some form of affordable electrification for crossovers at the same price/efficiency levels of sedans, I think there will always be a need for them.

I don’t mind sedans. I drive a Toyota Camry.

Sad that they no longer have the premier option with the 2.0L engine or even a real transmission… And even worse the next gen may be electric.

I can’t believe they still make these. I once had a 2015 Chrysler 200 and I always said that body style looks like my old car. Chevy needs to change that body style because that body is 2016 which means 7 years. They definitely don’t stand out anymore.

I sat in a new one of these in 2020. The seat was very uncomfortable. So I got out and forgot about it.

Laughs with his 2006 Malibu Maxx. Really nice car.

Too bad they can’t make them like the Buick Century. Just to offer something different instead of adapting to the imports.

It’s 2023 but feels like 2014 or 2015.

My wife a 21 LT and loves it. While I’ll admit it’s a little dated compared to the sonata Camry etc, it has great value and was the same price of a civic or Elantra which we also looked and it the Malibu was actually cheaper.

I love sedans, I have a Toyota Corolla Sport!

Who would buy a Malibu over an Accord or Camry……..can you say quality, resale, reliability. Go ahead and through your money away!

I hate doing oil changes on GMs with this engine. For some reason the point the drain plug diagonally almost pointing straight down and as soon as you crack the drain plug loose it's already pissing oil all over your arm.

Modern Malibus are unreliable. I used to have a 2012 and spent the last few months of having it in a mechanic shop cause the check engine light wouldn’t leave me alone

It’s the Keith Richards of cars

Just got a cherry rs 23 loving it so far less headache than the Chrysler 300c I just got rid of

As for the ending thought, I don't think the sedan will come back any time soon. SUVs tend to check the boxes for people as well as a sedan with fewer compromises (bigger cargo area, better seating position, easier to use back seats, minimal mpg hit, AWD availability even if people don't actually need it). My grandparents, who always bought sedans since the 90s, chose a CRV to replace their old accord because they liked the easier seating position and better cargo space. My other grandparents traded their CTS for an XT5 for the same reason. And for younger people , that extra height and space in the cargo area makes a difference when you need to carry 3 kids and all their junk too. Combine that with not needing to bend over to buckle the car seats all the time and these little differences add up. Thinking back to cars in the 30s and 40s, they are structured like a modern cross over with a flat floor and tall, upright seating position. Those cars had running boards because they were so tall. Sedans were created in the late 50s as a styling trend to look low and cool compared to the tall upright cars of the past. But now people don't put styling as high on the list of needs in a car, especially if they can only afford 1 car and need it to do everything they want. That's part of the reason coupes and convertibles died first. Living with them comes with compromises from a sedan, and the cool factor wasn't enough to overcome that. Now the cool factor of sedan styling isn't enough to overcome the benefits that an SUV has so they are dying. I alone can think of 2 occasions where an SUV would have saved me a lot of headaches trying to get a normal sized object back home. I bought a desktop tool box that's probably 3x2x2. I have a Cadillac Fleetwood, and even the massive trunk on my car couldn't take this tool box. I had to, with the help of a store employee, fanagle and shove this tool box into the massive backseat and it barely fit with the passenger seat all the way forward. Then I found a cooler abandoned in a creek and wanted to take it home. The handle was stuck in the upright position and it wouldn't fit in the trunk. My backseat passengers had to carry it in their lap, which was also a tight fit. None of this would have been an issue in my 05 equinox, which I sold to buy the Cadillac. I would throw it in the back and be done

SUV's will exceed the length of consumer demand, and the companies that canceled their sedans will be behind the curve. Toyota & Honda will be happy to sell you some more cars.

I have a 2023 Corvette (weekend car and garage queen) and a 2023 Malibu RS for a daily driver. Love them both for different reasons. Had a 2022 Corolla SE before that. The Malibu rides much better and feels more in control than the Corolla, IMHO.

I got a 2016 Malibu Ltz 70,000 miles and I love it Malibu not that bad

It looks cheaper than a Christmas gift from a Dollar Tree.

These along with black Altimas are objectively the fastest cars on the road today I don't care what anyone else says

I bought a 2023 rs I love mine

If you go bland, at least make it reliable

They'll stick around replacing the 2 door coupe as the "sporty" option since everyone's gonna be driving refrigerators on wheels in 10 years

Glad it’s still around but it’s desperately outdated. Save sedans but come on GM

I hope that Sedans will continue to be built. I'm not interested in SUVs or pickup trucks, I'd rather have a car.

Great Vid Dude!

I want this car but I keep hearing cvt this and 1.5 sucks…idk what to do 🤦🏽‍♂️🤷🏾‍♂️

It'd be nice to still have the options for sedans, coupes, etc. In the past, brands had a VARIETY of vehicles even if they weren't the strongest sellers (convertibles, wagons etc). Now you see some lineups with only SUVs. They're all the same except each model is a few inches longer than the other. It's nauseating. Time to bring back variety. I currently drive a Subaru Crosstrek which I enjoy but I would consider a sedan for my next car.

I love sedans. Sedans need to comeback and I think the demand for sedans will pick up in a couple of years. I’ve just never been a fan of SUVs. Sedans have better lines and style than a SUV.

sedans/wagons are way more practical than SUV/crossovers/SAV due to the reduced drag and stress upon parts and less weight

Sedans will maybe go the way of the station wagon, just a small handful out there, maybe back in popularity some day, but not for a long time

There is still a market for sedans, yet GM and Ford are fine with abandoning it to the Japanese and Koreans. They're not hot sellers but they're reliable sellers. They can make more profit off crossovers so that's why they abandoned them. With the upcoming push to electrification, sedans are more aerodynamic than taller SUVs. We might see sedans return, although the Tesla Y outsells the 3 despite being mechanically identical so maybe not. The Malibu is GM at its worst though. It looks decent in a generic way but it's not good.

I hope I could get one with a sunroof

Leased the model when these body styles 1st came out back in 15. Boy o boy. Those fuel injectors were getting replaced crazy even tho babied. I wouldn't recommend

How unbelievably sad. GM and Chevy have fallen so far from their performance and fun-to-drive heritage. My lawn mower has more personality than that sedan.

You’re in a RS trim the gauge display gets better with high end trims. It has nothing to do with the fact it’s a older car. You’re in a base model. 😫 literally a base model.

I still want the regal, Impala, monte carlo (and other personal luxury/sports coupes to come back). Hell if Buick is going electric just give us the Electra. Give us a Riviera. Hell maybe Ford could bring the T-Bird back, or maybe the cougar (under the Lincoln badge) or the mark series coupe as a more upscale mustang with the same power train and the Taurus

yes sedans are the best as is coupes. I hope they come back

The small GM Turbo engines are great if you like blown head gaskets before 90k.

My neighbor had one of these and it had tons of issues. Hood always up. Then he got a Dodge Dart. Again he was always working on it Then they had a current gen Camry and I somehow saw it broke down in front of the neighborhood. Then they had a Chrysler 200 and that broke all the time too and now it gone Dude just has the worst luck with cars. It makes no sense to me why anybody is missing the Malibu. It was a POS that never was much appealing and left a bunch of angry customers.

Just had a new Malibu rental. Loved the car but just too small. Hard for me to get in and out of. Keep hitting my head on the roof rail. Damn, I dont want to buy and SUV.....

I wish that they would make more sedans. SUVs are just way too big for me.

so how does it compare to nissan sentra?